Nekton Belize

[fda483]

I really need to get back in the water. After reading everyone's comments on Nekton I am about to book the 10/28 Belize trip. Everyone's comments on this and the other liveaboards have been a great help. Some final questions before I book:

1) The $195 for Nitrox for the week seems a little steep. I have found nitrox to be great on deeper wreck dives when you stay at depth for most of the dive but of less value on reef dives that you could take advantage of a multilevel dive plan. Have done 4 - 5 dives a day on air in Roatan and Coz and except for a few occasions the NDL was not an issue. Is it worth the extra cash for the typical dives in Belize?

2) I am thinking pushing off my return flight to Sunday so I can get the full day of diving on Friday. I see they recommend the Princess Hotel and Casino, seems reasonable for one night especially if it lets me get in a few more dives. Do they treat Friday just like the other days from a dive schedule standpoint.

3) Any tips on packing. Between dive gear, cameras, housing, strobes and laptop it always seem like I am part of the road crew for a Broadway play.

4) I see they have some form of satellite phone - is that available for an occasional call home on a pay per call basis?

Again thanks everyone for the comments - the collective experience of everyone on ScubaBoard is priceless!

 

[BurBunny]

On the nitrox, while you might not need it for any particular dive on NDLs, when you're doing 5 dives a day, you really are nitrogen loading. It will help the saturation for the week and is highly recommended for liveaboards. It's safer, and likely you'll feel better at the end of the week.

And yes, Nekton overcharges for it.

For packing, you truly won't need more than a couple pairs of shorts, 3-4 tee shirts. No shoes the entire week. Bring as many swim suits as you can, so you can change into a dry one after each dive. That should help the packing load a bit.

Satellite phone is available and extremely expensive. Don't consider it a "check in" option, but instead an emergency contact.

 

[diversteve]

We did CaySal this summer but it was still the Pilot...

1) The $195 for Nitrox for the week seems a little steep....

My buddy originally was told it was all reserved, but when we got on the boat, it was available. So he did it although he also complained about the price.

2) I am thinking pushing off my return flight to Sunday so I can get...Friday just like the other days from a dive schedule standpoint.

From Nekton's itinerary description:

Enjoy at least 4 - 5 dives per day, including night dives and the opportunity to dive all the way through Friday night

I dove Friday afternoon at 5, there was a night dive but the only people on it were locals.

3) Any tips on packing. Between dive gear, cameras, housing, strobes and laptop it always seem like I am part of the road crew for a Broadway play.

Take less clothes than you think. More swimsuits than you think. A big floppy hat. Sunscreen.. You're on the biggest thing out there so you get cooked up on the sundeck - which is where most people spend their s/i's. Once you set up your gear on a tank, it's yours all week, they refill with a hose. And your other gear is stowed
under your seat on the divedock all week. Cameras on the camera table(s) - somewhat in the shade.

So collapsible luggage is the way to go, there's almost a foot(tall) of room under your bunk for storage. Clothes go in six small cubes that you'll be sharing with your roommate and for some reason they provide hanger space which was useless for us. I lived in microfiber shorts and 4-5 shirts all week. I'm 6'4 275 and I never felt crowded in the room. And usually a great view out of 3 windows if you're on the right side when arriving at a destination.

Take an extension cord if you want to power your laptop up in the room, the plug is on the far side of the sink away from the beds. Most people - including me - just left theirs up in the saloon. And the PC reader on their computer is marginal, so if you're participating in the photo contest take a blank CD for the transfer to their box - they run a slideshow on the big screen and everybody votes on Friday night.

Typically you dive your morning dives in a swimsuit and only change for lunch - mostly for the benefit of whoever has to sit in your wetspot later.

4) I see they have some form of satellite phone - is that available for an occasional call home on a pay per call basis?

Yeah, I think it was $1.60/minute. And on the bridge so not very private.

Get there fast for the cookies, they're gone in 10mins. And the food is probably the best I've ever had on a boat. Erminda is an amazing cook given what she has to use.

hth,

 

[DiveMaven]

I really need to get back in the water. After reading everyone's comments on Nekton I am about to book the 10/28 Belize trip. Everyone's comments on this and the other liveaboards have been a great help. Some final questions before I book:

We were on the Pilot in Belize last December, so maybe I can help some.

1) The $195 for Nitrox for the week seems a little steep. I have found nitrox to be great on deeper wreck dives when you stay at depth for most of the dive but of less value on reef dives that you could take advantage of a multilevel dive plan. Have done 4 - 5 dives a day on air in Roatan and Coz and except for a few occasions the NDL was not an issue. Is it worth the extra cash for the typical dives in Belize?

We dove 4x a day all week on air and never felt that Nitrox was necessary. Typical dive sites are walls with reefs on top, so it's very easy to control your profiles and still see everything there is to see within the NDLs.

2) I am thinking pushing off my return flight to Sunday so I can get the full day of diving on Friday. I see they recommend the Princess Hotel and Casino, seems reasonable for one night especially if it lets me get in a few more dives. Do they treat Friday just like the other days from a dive schedule standpoint.

Yes, Friday is like any other day, though I don't remember if a night dive was available or not. We didn't get out of the water until about 5pm on Friday of our trip as we had 3 days planned inland afterward. We were dropped at the Princess Hotel prior to boarding the Pilot and IMO it was a pretty yucky hotel. There were some folks who had come in the day prior and said it was fine for one night, but that there wasn't much to do. We were also told that basically all the hotels in Belize City were bad, so there really isn't a great choice.

All that said, when we do Belize again, we'll stay overnight on Saturday and fly out on Sunday morning to be able to dive Friday afternoon.

3) Any tips on packing. Between dive gear, cameras, housing, strobes and laptop it always seem like I am part of the road crew for a Broadway play.

Pack as little as possible. We only wore clothes after our last dive of the day since we don't night dive, but other folks never wore clothing, just changed into dry suits for meals. We had 2 pair of shorts and 4 t-shirts each, and it was plenty. We never wore shoes, so you can leave the flip flops at home unless you hate going barefoot.

Again thanks everyone for the comments - the collective experience of everyone on ScubaBoard is priceless!

We really enjoyed diving in Belize and definitely plan on returning on the Pilot someday. Actually we loved it so much that had we been able to spend another week on-board, we would have done a back-to-back. We enjoyed the walls very much and the reefs were simply teaming with life. We didn't see any big pelagics, but since you're a photographer, you'll never want for macro subjects!!

Post a trip report when you return.

 

[fda483]

Thanks everyone for the great tips. This will be my first liveaboard and something tells me it wont be my last!!

 

[Darnold9999]

Have done the Pilot - echo what everyone else has said. Would add that the Fri afternoon and night dives are often pretty thin re divers as most are flying out Sat so don't dive at some point in the day. However if you want to dive it will be at the site you spend Friday afternoon. I did and will stay the extra day.

You can dive quite comfortably without Nitrox, however at 5 dives a day you will be getting near NDL limits on air pretty much every day. for 30 dives for $195 that is about $6.50 a fill which is reasonable where I live.

Pack light, pack an extension cord for your laptop and so you can plug all your chargers in at the same time.

I stayed at the Great House http://www.greathousebelize.com across the street from the Fort George Radisson. Peter Hughes and the Aggressor leave from the dock across the street. Not inexpensive, but you can walk downtown to the swing bridge and poke around Belize City. Was not impressed by the Princess Hotel. Would give it a pass.

 

[Footslogger]

I really need to get back in the water. After reading everyone's comments on Nekton I am about to book the 10/28 Belize trip. Everyone's comments on this and the other liveaboards have been a great help. Some final questions before I book:

1) The $195 for Nitrox for the week seems a little steep. I have found nitrox to be great on deeper wreck dives when you stay at depth for most of the dive but of less value on reef dives that you could take advantage of a multilevel dive plan. Have done 4 - 5 dives a day on air in Roatan and Coz and except for a few occasions the NDL was not an issue. Is it worth the extra cash for the typical dives in Belize?
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Check back with Nekton. I think they recently dropped their nitrox charge ...at least that's what they told me when I inquired for our Caymans trip next May. As far as nitrox goes, the value to me is the cummulative effects over 6 days of diving at between 3 and 5 dives/day. It's not about depth and I personally feel that it's worth it on a liveaboard.

2) I am thinking pushing off my return flight to Sunday so I can get the full day of diving on Friday. I see they recommend the Princess Hotel and Casino, seems reasonable for one night especially if it lets me get in a few more dives. Do they treat Friday just like the other days from a dive schedule standpoint.
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I've done it both ways ...Saturday and Sunday return. The Saturday return makes things a bit rushed but then you have Sunday to unpack and unwind. The Sunday departure lets you hang out and dive the night dive Friday night. Personally, after 5 Nekton trips, I find that by the last night (Friday) I am pretty fried and enjoy rinsing out my gear and giving it a chance to dry before packing it up for the trip home. If the flights work I personally would always fly out sometime on Saturday afternoon.

3) Any tips on packing. Between dive gear, cameras, housing, strobes and laptop it always seem like I am part of the road crew for a Broadway play.
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I try and get all my dive gear and clothing into a single bag and then carry a small backpack with things I will need fast access to during travel. In addition I carry a Pelican case with my u/w camera gear. There is adequate storage under the beds in your cabin for that amount of gear. Too much more and you'll be tripping over it trying to get in and out of your cabin ...and to be totally honest you really don't need that much stuff for a week in Belize on the Nekton.


4) I see they have some form of satellite phone - is that available for an occasional call home on a pay per call basis?
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Yes, they do have a satellite phone and yes there is a charge (and a rather high one as I recall) for its use. Satellite phone calls are for emergency only and not for casual calls home.

Again thanks everyone for the comments - the collective experience of everyone on ScubaBoard is priceless!

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Enjoy Belize and the Nekton. I've dove that itinerary twice now and have thoroughly enjoyed both trips.

'Slogger

 

[robint]

We did the Nekton Pilot to Cay sal this summer and loved it.
We did the Nitrox and thought it was worth every penny - doing 4-5 dives a day for 5 days I think it is wise regardless of depth or dive times. Their mix is around 30% so you are safe to go deep if you want. Yes, their price is higher than some other liveaboards for Nitrox but as I said, we wouldn't do a liveaboard without it.

Packing - take 4-7 bathing suits and 3-4 pairs of shorts and a few t-shirts. Take a jacket or sweatshirt for sitting topside at night. That's all you need. Barefoot for a week - we really hated to actually put on shoes when we got off the boat!! LOL

Rooms are big, food is good and filling, nothing fancy, just home cooking style buffet with seconds if you want. Stop is made on the way to the boat for everyone to pick up "adult beverages" and sodas for the week as the only drinks served are coffee, tea, juices, and water. So if you need your diet coke or budweiser you have to buy it before you get on the boat. No hassle, just be aware.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[reeldive]

did the Nekton belize trip last last year. didn't need the nitrox. most of the good stuff is @ less than 60' with the tops of the reefs @ 30-40' On the Cayman trip nitrox is a good investment.

 

[Doc]

did the Nekton belize trip last last year. didn't need the nitrox. most of the good stuff is @ less than 60' with the tops of the reefs @ 30-40'

Well said, but it does little to deflate the myth of Nitrox being better than Viagra.

Belize is best when done shallow. Nitrox? I dont think so.

Nitrox
Nekton uses RIX Industries brand oil-free compressors to safely pump Nitrox. Yes, this equipment cost us considerably more than a standard oil-lubricated compressor, but it assures that the air fills you get aboard the Nekton Pilot and Nekton Rorqual are the cleanest you will find and the safest way to go aboard a live-aboard.

Since the original post mentioned having one pre-voyage day to spend diving from Belize City- that would be a great moment to go and do the Blue Hole... get that dive over and done with, get your ticket punched. Belize is a treasure trove, the Blue Hole is a side-dish that the Nekton does not serve.

Nekton is my choice... every time.